Brite Nite Whitney Party, 1999

On March 9, 1999 John and Carolyn attended "Brite Nite Whitney" at the Whitney, a benefit in aid of the Upper East Side museum. If you'd like to read an awkwardly funny account of the night, the NY Post has an old article up (John is mentioned).

John and Carolyn at the 'Brite Nite Whitney' fundraiser, March 9 1999

"Brite and beautiful black tie" was the dress code and Carolyn gave it her own twist by pairing a men's white dress shirt with a ruffled black skirt by Yohji Yamamoto. Her accessories were a bit bolder - patent strappy sandals and a gold-chain handbag, along with an emerald coloured ring and her wedding band. Makeup and hair was kept sleek and minimal, with Carolyn opting for a sheer lip instead of her usual bright red (Clinique's Black Honey is a good dupe, and Revlon's Fig Jam a less expensive alternative).

My favourite thing about this look has to be the ruffled skirt by Yohji. If I recall correctly, the blogger behind the now defunct Ultimate Carolyn had the same one. The gallery below has a bunch of HQ images where you can really see the detail of the skirt.

Outfit details

Despite it being a look you could still pull off today, this was arguably one of Carolyn's more trendier outfits. The casual top + evening skirt combo was very much a late nineties trend. Sharon Stone had kicked off the whole thing at the past Oscars by pairing a lilac Vera Wang evening skirt with her husband's button down from the Gap, and the April issue of Vogue had covergirls Maggie Rizer and Kate Moss in ball gowns and Calvin Klein tees. And you have to admit the little gold chain mail bag was a very nineties thing as well. What did you think of this look?

Gallery of really HQ images below:

More images at Remembering CBK

P.S. How cute were John and Carolyn at this event?!